Pointing trowel device



y 28, 968 H. F. JAMES 3,334,943

POINTING TROWEL DEVICE Filed June 17, 1966 INVENTOR HAROLD f. JAMES 5 am ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,384,943 POENTING TROWEL DEVICE Harold F. James, Jacksonville Road, Burlington, NJ. 08016 Filed June 17, 1966, Ser. No. 558,360 3 Claims. (Cl. 25-118) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a pointing trowel device, more particularly to a device for retaining and applying cementitious material to a joint between bricks or stone.

Heretofore, various trowel devices have been provided for applying or smoothing mortar which has been applied to a joint between bricks or stone. However, such devices have not provided particular retaining means in a trowel device for application of cementitious material directly to the joint as required, and to the depth desired, as controlled by the operator.

Therefore, an object of the invention is to prvoide a new and improved pointing trowel device which allows cementitious material to be retained by the trowel in reserve for application to a joint.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pointing trowel device which allows cementitious material to be efficiently, easily and expertly applied to a joint to the depth desired and under the control of the operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pointing trowel device provided with adjustable means for controlling the quantity of cementitious material retained for application by the device to a joint.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pointing trowel device which is easily manufactured and maintained in operation and is inexpensive in cost.

The above objects of the invention as well as many other objects are achieved by providing a pointing trowel device comprising a handle means, blade element secured with the handle means, and a cover unit movably received over the blade element for retaining therewithin material to be applied by the blade element to a joint between bricks or stone. The cover unit is movably positioned with respect to the blade element by spring means. The spring means retains the blade element for movement between a retracted position Within the cover unit, and a position extending from the cover unit for applying material retained within the cover unit with the bottom surface of the blade element to a joint between bricks or stone. The spring means urges the blade element towards its retracted position. Stop means may be provided for adjusting and providing -a retracted terminal position for the blade element within the cover unit.

With the foregoing in mind, the invention will become more apparent as the following detailed description of the invention is read in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

3,3843% Patented May 28, 1968 FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pointing trowel device embodying the invention,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1 with the portion handle broken away,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2 illustrating the use of the device for applying cementitious material to a joint between bricks,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the device shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4, and

FIGURE 6 is an inverted perspective view, reduced in size, of the device shown in FIGURE 4.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

Refer to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 which disclose a pointing trowel device 10 employing the invention.

The pointing trowel device 10 comprises a handle means 12 which may be made of a wooden tubular portion 14 having a metal reforcing cap 16 received over its end 18.

The device 1% has a blade element 20 having a thin elongated body with top and bottom horizontal surfaces 22, 24, and side edges 26, 28. One end 30 of the blade element 2% is unconnected while the other end 32 is connected with substantially vertical member 34 provided with a horizontal tongue end 46 for being received into and secured with the end 18 of the handle means 12, so that the handle means 12 is offset from and extends in a direction substantially parallel to the horizontal surfaces 22, 24 of the blade element 20.

A cover unit 56, which like the blade element 20, may be made of a metallic material, has a horizontal top portion 52 and a pair of vertically downwardly extending side portions 54, 56, providing substantially an inverted U configuration. The cover unit is an elongated configuration having an extent substantially equal to that of the blade 20, and receives within the channel 58 formed therewithin (see FIGURE 3), the blade element 20. As also particularly shown in FIGURE 3, the clearance between the edges 2-5, 28 of the blade element 20 and the respective side portions 54, 56 of the cover unit 50 is just sufiicient to allow relative vertical movement between the cover unit 5% and the element 20.

A spring means do which may be a metal leaf-type spring has one end 62 secured by screw means 64 with the top horizontal portion of the cover unit Si), and its other end 66 secured with the end 18 of the handle means 12. The spring means maintains .the cover unit 50 in position over the blade element 20 with the cover unit 50 being urged downwardly over the blade element 20.

Stop means 63 may be provided in the form of a pair of screw elements 7%, 72 threadedly engaging the top horizontal portion 52 of the cover unit 50 with an end '74 extending downwardly into the channel 58. With the spring means 6% urging the top portion 52 0f the cover means 54 downwardly towards the top surface 22 of the blade element 20, the ends 74 of the screw elements 70, 72, when contacting the top surface 22 of the blade element 20 provide a retracted terminal position for the blade element 29 within the channel 58 of the cover unit 50. By raising or lowering the ends 74 of the screw elements 70, 72 by turning same the terminal position of the blade element 2% may be adjusted. The nut units 75 may be tightened for securing or fixing the positions of the screw elements 79, 72 in their adjusted positions.

The opening 61 in the spring means 60 may be provided for allowing the screw element of the stop means 63 to be readily adjusted and secured in position.

In using the pointing trowel device 10, for applying cementitious material such as mortar or cement to a joint between bricks or stone, the operator, with the blade element 20 being in its retracted terminal position, applies the cementitious material to fill the space within the cover means 50 bounded by the bottom wall 24 of the blade 20 and the inside surfaces of the side walls 54, 56 (this space or volume being designated by the numeral 78 in FIGURES 2 and 3). The pointing trowel device is then placed with its blade element over a joint 80 between bricks or stone 82 to which the cementituous material is to be applied. In this connection it is noted that the width of the blade element 29 is substantially equal to the width of the joint between the bricks or stone 82 while the side portions 54, 56 of the cover unit 50 are spaced apart slightly wider than the width of the joint 80 so that the bottom edges 84 make contact respectively with the edges of the brick or stone 82 on each side of the joint 80. Thus, as the blade element 20 is moved downwardly for placing cementituous material 86 in the joint 8!) over the cementitious material 83 which may have previously been applied to the joint 89, the cover element 56 is prevented from entering the bricks or stone 82 and serves to allow the cementitions material 86 to be etficiently and easily deposited in an expert manner in the joint without spilling over the edges of the bricks or stone 82. Of course, the thickness of the layer of newly applied cementitious material 82 may be determined by the operator by the extent to which the blade element 20 is depressed into the joint 80 while the device 19 is moved along the joint 88 with the cover element 50 remaining in abutting relationship to the edges of the bricks or stone 82 at the joint 30.

Thus, the pointing trowel device 10 allows an operator to place a desired quantity of cementitious material within the channel 58 of the cover means 56, which quantity may be adjusted by the stop means 68, and then apply such material directly into a joint to the extent and depth desired and controlled by the operator while moving the device 16 along the joint thereby increasing the efiiciency and reducing the time required for the pointing operation.

Refer now to FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 which illustrate a pointing trowel device 90 which. is a modified form of the device 10. The device 96 is substantially identical to the device 10 except with respect to its spring means 92, so only the ditterences in structure will be described in detail.

The device 90 is provided with a handle means 12', blade element 20', and cover unit 50 which may be identical to the respective components of the device 10. The spring means 92 for urging the cover unit 50 towards its terminal position over the element 20' for engagement with the stop means 68' includes a threaded. stud 94 threadily secured at its end 96 with the blade 20'. One of the spring means 92 is respectively provided at each end 36, 32 of the blade element 20. Thestuds 96 of means 92 extend vertically upward from the lade element 20 through a respective opening 98 in the top portion 52' of the cover unit 50' at opposite ends thereof. Each stud 96 receives a coil spring 169 between the top portion 52 of the cover unit 56', and a nut 392 threadily engaging the top end 194- of the stud 94. By threadily adjusting the position of the nut 162 of the spring means 92, the tension exerted by the spring 100 between the cover unit and the element 20 may be adjusted. The spring means 92, thus operate in a similar manner to the spring means of the device 16 for urging the blade element 20 towards it retracted terminal position as clearly shown in FIGURE 5, while allowing the blade element 20' to move downwardly and out of its retracted position for applying cementitious material in the manner explained in detail in connection with the pointing trowel device 10.

It will, of course, be understood that the description and drawings, herein contained, are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes may be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

E. A pointing trowel device comprising handle means, a blade element secured with said handle means having a substantially fiat and elongated body with top and bottom horizontal surfaces, a cover unit movably received over said blade element for retaining therewithin material to be applied by said blade element and having an inverted U configuration providing an elongated body with a horizontal portion and a pair of vertical side portions forming a channel therebetween for receiving said blade element therewithin, spring means for movably positioning and retaining said cover unit with respect to said blade element, said spring means retaining said blade element for movement between a retracted position within said cover unit and a position extending from said cover unit for applying material retained within said cover unit to a joint between bricks or stone with the bottom surface of said blade element and said spring means'urging said blade element toward its retracted position, stop means for adjusting and moving the retracted terminal position for said blade element within said cover unit comprising a pair of spaced. apart screw elements each threadedly engaging the horizontal position of said cover and having an end extending into the channel of said cover unit and engaging the top surface of said blade when said blade is in its retracted position, said screw elements having their extending ends adjustably positioned and fixed for adjusting the retracted terminal position of said blade element with respect to the horizontal portion of said cover unit, and a substantially vertical member connecting said blade element with said handle means so that said handle means is offset from and substantially parallel with said blade element.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said spring means is a leaf spring having one end secured with said handle means and its other end secured with said cover unit.

3. The device of claim 1 in which said spring means comprise a pair of coil springs each exerting a force be tween said blade element and cover unit at the ends of said cover unit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,061,085 5/1913 Kolson l5235.3 1,277,026 8/1918 Ashby l5-555 2,446,143 7/1948 Smith l5555 2,733,593 2/1956 Hay 15-596 XR 2,910,861 11/1959 Thornhill 15235.3 3,163,881 1/ 1965 Apicella 15-560 XR DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

